PRESIDENT'S REPORT

PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2025

UC Netball Prizegiving 2025

Before we dive into the fun and celebrations tonight, a couple of quick housekeeping points:

In case of an emergency, please stay calm, follow the directions, and make your way to the nearest exit where we’ll meet out in the car park. Let’s also look after each other tonight – be responsible with your drinks, and if you think someone’s had a bit too much, please step in, help out, and get the assistance they need.

Now, before we get started, I want to give a special shoutout to Hannah from our committee, who’s worked hard behind the scenes to bring tonight’s event together. 

It’s so exciting to see all of you here tonight. We’re gathered to celebrate the incredible success and achievements of our teams and teammates throughout the 2025 season.

Speaking of success, this year marked a milestone with the introduction of our brand-new New Balance uniform, which we debuted for the first time this season. The journey for this began all the way back in November 2024, when Rachel, Brodie, and I sat down with the top five sports clubs at UC to hammer out a deal and finalise a contract. It’s been amazing seeing these new kits in action, particularly with our A to D teams this year. I’m excited to share that, thanks to the tireless work of Nat, we’ve secured funding to ensure every single one of our teams will be in the new uniform next season.

This year, we’ve seen our teams playing across a variety of locations, from Nga Puna Wai on Monday’s and Wednesday’s to Hagley Park and Nga Puna Wai on Saturdays. We had 22 teams across both Closed and Open Grade competitions – 7 of those self-entered. We still remain the largest senior netball club in the entire CNC competition.

And what a season it’s been. We’ve had some impressive performances.

Let’s start with our P Team in the Open Grade – what a season they had! They dominated, winning the majority of their games, making waves in the competition. A massive thank you to their coaches, Nat and Karen, who poured so much time, effort, and heart into the team, ensuring they were firing on all cylinders every week.

Our I, L and N teams showed consistent results throughout the season and truly came into their own as the weeks went by. For the competition round, our K team got into Section 1, a great achievement led by Annie and Lisa.

Our G Team, coached by Georgia and Julia, kicked off the season with a bang by being promoted to the brand-new Challenge 3 grade. This is a big win for the club as it reduces the number of UC vs UC games, giving us more exciting games.

Our Closed Grade teams didn’t have the chance to move grades this year, but that didn’t stop them from developing their skills, learning, and growing. It’s great to see them building momentum for next season.

We had seven Open Grade teams make it to the semi-finals! A massive congratulations to the P and U teams, who both went all the way to their finals. Let’s give a huge round of applause to the P Team, who claimed the title in their grade! And to the U Team, who left it all out on the court, and a performance to be proud of.

Our B Team had an incredible season, who faced off against St Nic’s in the Senior 1 final. Although the win wasn’t meant to be, they secured their place in the Senior 1 competition for next year. And a big shoutout to our A, C, E, and F Teams, who all secured their spots for the 2026 season in their respective grades.

I know some teams might feel a little disappointed with the outcome, but let’s not forget about the countless memories made, the friendships formed, and the new skills we’ve all picked up along the way. The beauty of this sport is that there’s always room for improvement. So let’s keep pushing, keep growing, and next season, let’s see just how much better we can be.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible work of our volunteers, particularly our coaches. Our club relies heavily on your passion and commitment. You give up your personal time to guide, teach, and mentor. And while coaching can be tough, it’s also incredibly rewarding to see players grow and develop. So, a massive thank you to the 28 coaches who continue to give UC Netball their heart and soul.

And of course, we can’t forget our umpires. Netball wouldn’t work without them! We’ve been fortunate to have a team of fantastic umpires who’ve kept the game fair and flowing. You all give your time, effort, and expertise to ensure our games run smoothly, and for that, we are so grateful.

Let’s not forget our committee, the unsung heroes who make everything possible. Our committee is made up of 10 phenomenal women who not only manage the club but also coach, umpire, and play Senior Netball themselves. Without them, UC Netball wouldn’t be the smooth-running, thriving community that it is today. To name a few, Laura organised and ran our raffle this year while playing in the A’s and coaching the C’s (and having a very busy toddler at home), Jess (alongside Georgia) picked up the Club Captain role, and Mikayla, played in the B’s, coached the E’s and put up her hand to help where needed. The dedication, hard work, and love for this club shine through your committee in everything they do.

And finally, to each and every member – whether you’re a player, coach, umpire, or supporter – a massive thank you. Your commitment, passion, and sportsmanship have been nothing short of extraordinary. You’ve represented UC Netball with pride, and your efforts have not only strengthened our club but have also inspired those around you.

For those of you moving on – whether that’s to new clubs or new adventures like university – we wish you all the best in whatever comes next. And for those returning next season, we can’t wait to see you back on court, ready to take on the 2026 season with fire and passion.

Enjoy the well-deserved summer break, stay safe, and we’ll see you all in February for another exciting season.

Hannah Williams
UC Netball Club President